Public anger grows at UBC decision to dump John Furlong as guest speaker

Public anger is growing at a University of B.C. decision to dump John Furlong as keynote speaker at an athletic fundraising event to avoid controversy over past unproven allegations against him.

Andrea Shaw, founder and managing partner of TTG Canada, which handles Furlong’s speaking engagements, said Thursday the “letters of support are coming in fast and furious” from upset individuals — more than 75 at last count. Postmedia News has also received numerous complaints from the public.

Shaw said Furlong is also “incredibly disappointed” at the decision, which comes as he is getting back on the speaking circuit following years of controversy associated with a 2012 Georgia Straight article.

Freelance writer Laura Robinson reported allegations that Furlong had physically abused First Nations students in northern B.C. decades earlier. Furlong omitted his time as a teacher in Burns Lake from his biographical 2011 book, Patriot Hearts.

The Georgia Straight story set off a chain of legal actions that included Furlong suing Robinson, three people filing sexual abuse lawsuits against Furlong — which were all later dropped or dismissed — and Robinson launching a counter lawsuit, alleging he had damaged her reputation in public statements.

Furlong denied the allegations in Robinson’s story and while he initially sued both her and the Georgia Straight for defamation, he dropped the suit, leaving the claims in the article untested. The story that started the controversy is still available for viewing on the publication’s website.

The B.C. Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that Furlong did not defame Robinson.

‘Internal controversy’

UBC asked Furlong about two months ago to speak at the ZLC Millennium Scholarship Breakfast on Feb. 28 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, an event to raise money for annual and endowed scholarships for the university’s varsity athletes.

UBC presented Furlong with an honorary law degree in 2010 for his work as president and CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Shaw said everything changed when she received a call Dec. 22 from Shantal Cashman, UBC director of development and alumni engagement.

“She basically said they wanted to cancel John’s appointment. I was stunned, obviously. I said, ‘What is the reason?’ She basically said there was internal controversy. And that was it.”

Shaw is urging UBC to reconsider its decision. Cashman could not be reached to comment Thursday.

Furlong had already put considerable research into his speech and had planned to donate his speaking salary — “well into the five figures” — to the athletes. It is not clear whether Furlong will now donate his 50-per-cent cancellation fee to the program. He declined to speak personally to Postmedia News.

‘Academic cowardice’

One of the emails to Postmedia came from Ron Bourgeois, a retired oil and gas executive who lives on the University Endowment Lands and whose son earned a bachelor of arts degrees at UBC.

“Another example of academic cowardice,” Bourgeois said. “The best solution is a boycott of the dinner and an alternative fundraiser outside of UBC’s jurisdiction.”

Blain Archer, who graduated from UBC in 1972 and is a founding partner of chartered professional accountants Johnsen Archer, wrote that, “UBC seems to have lost its moral compass,” and added that it is difficult to support an institution that “does not stand up to the highest of standards and treat all victims the same.”

Point Grey Secondary School alumnus Bob Fox, retired from B.C. Gas and now living in the Cariboo, wrote: “What a bunch of pseudo conservative asses the UBC board members must be to decline John Furlong his opportunity to speak at one of their functions!”

Marvin Storrow, a Vancouver lawyer who has represented Furlong, said he was shocked to learn of UBC’s actions.

“One of the fundamental principles of Canada’s legal system is the presumption of innocence. As is well known, Mr. Furlong had to face allegations that were said to be approximately 40 years old.”

He added that allegations against Furlong were not supported despite a “very thorough RCMP investigation and a lengthy trial before the B.C. Supreme Court.”

Storrow added that UBC invited Furlong to speak with “full knowledge of what he has been through both personally and publicly in recent years and then to tell him he is not welcome to speak at their event… is quite extraordinary.” He, too, urged the university to reconsider its decision.

Leslie Dickson, associate director of public affairs for UBC, said in a written statement that she acknowledged concerns people have about Furlong being removed from the event.

“This decision was made to keep the event focused on its primary goal of supporting student athletes.”

‘Unparalleled contribution’

UBC president Santa Ono will now speak at the breakfast event. He is currently out of the country and not available to comment.

Shaw said that Furlong had a promising speaking career after the 2010 Olympics, but the market fell out after the Georgia Straight article.

Yet he had close to a dozen speaking engagements in 2016, mostly for corporations on topics such as leadership, teamwork, vision and facing adversity, which incorporates his turmoils over the Georgia Straight article, she said.

Furlong’s current lawyer, Claire Hunter, said in a written statement that her client “has consistently stated that he is innocent of the alleged abuse, and each allegation that has been subject to investigation by the RCMP or finding of the courts has been found to be unsubstantiated.”

Former UBC students Alan Kenney (diploma in sales and marketing management, 1994) and Heather Sirlin (bachelor of commerce, 1983) wrote to Ono to express their disappointment.

“It is simply unfathomable, after all Mr. Furlong has endured and his obvious desire to re-engage with the sporting community at large and UBC’s varsity sports programs in particular, that UBC somehow views his speaking at the varsity fund raiser to be controversial. The only controversy is that UBC somehow sees fit to further punish Mr. Furlong for allegations of which he is completely innocent,” the couple wrote.

“UBC should be ashamed that it has caved in to what must be an individual or small group of individuals who are still seeking to punish Mr. Furlong.

“Mr. Furlong has made an unparalleled contribution to the sporting and Olympic movement in Canada and is an honourable person who completely deserves to speak at your fund raiser.”

Furlong lost his wife, Deborah, in a car accident in Ireland in 2013. His current partner is Renee Smith-Valade, who served as vice-president of communications during the Games.

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